SMALL companies will now acquire funding from Germany at 50%
the interest rate charged in Ireland under a program certified by Chancellor
Angela Merkel.

The German Chancellor has told her state investment bank to
coordinate closely with Irish officials to enhance loans for the economy, to
include availability to funds for small and medium businesses.

But funds may also be provided for investment, for construction and for
bigger companies.

The development is designed to allow Irish businesses
seeking capital at a lower interest rate than the one provided by Irish banks.

At present, the average interest rate applicable for a small
Irish business is approximately 4.5pc – over 100% more than the rate for a
similar business in Germany, where loans are provided at merely 2pc.

SUPPORT

The plan to provide further loans at lower rates is likewise
seen to motivate more businesses to invest.

“The need for loans depends on the affordability. There will
be higher demand for funding if we can reduce the rate,” a Government official
said.

The arrangement came as a result of negotiations between
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Chancellor Merkel regarding steps to aid the economy.

The German development bank, KFW, will determine possible
steps to provide the loans.

The funds come at a lower rate because KFW is a triple-A
rated bank; hence, it can acquire money at a lower rate and pass on the benefit
to its clients.

The credit will be channeled through the National Treasury
Management Agency and the new Strategic Investment Fund or the state-operated
banks, AIB and Permanent TSB.

The Taoiseach said Ms. Merkel personally promised to
coordinate hand-in-hand with Ireland to enhance funding processes.

In a report, Ms. Merkel said the German development bank
will work with the Irish officials “rapidly, so as to fulfil its goals on this
program as quickly as possible”.

After the announcement, the Irish Bankers Federation (IBF)
released a report pointing to a marked decrease in lending to companies in the
first part of this year; but banks insist this is a result of companies being
reluctant to take out loans.

IBF director Felix O’Regan stated that any improvement in
credit availability should be encouraged.

However, he said financiers operating here are suffering due
to falling demand.

Driving business activity, by encouraging consumer spending,
is the best means for achieving that, Mr O’Regan said.

Bank of Ireland head of small business, Gerry Prizeman,
stated that firms are wary of fresh loans.

Business owners only took out half of the €3.6bn of funds
the bank had intended to provide in 2012, for instance. Those who have availed
are presently utilizing below 40pc of the cash accessible on their overdrafts.

Deep Blue Publications Group: What Is The Stock Market?

Centers of finance, such as London and New York, have their
own stock exchanges – that is, their own retail shops or venues where
investors, whether they are private individuals or banks or pension and hedge
funds, can purchase and sell shares of stock.

Remember: One share is a part-ownership of a company.

At present, stocks and shares can be more commonly acquired
on the Internet through a stockbrokers' website, in the same way that Amazon
conducts sales through its website.

You can acquire or sell shares in businesses from the US,
UK, Europe, India, Japan and other nations over the stockbroker's website.

The
Stock Market – The Traditional View

When people mention the stock market, they often refer to
the stock exchange (retail outlet) in their own country. For instance, my stock
market is the London Stock Exchange.

Through my stockbroker's website, I gain access to exchanges
globally and buy and sell shares on the London Stock Exchange as well as The
New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ and The American Stock Exchange.

Like Amazon, a stock market is a venue where buying and
selling takes place but the only goods available offers are shares.

As you can see in particular, the stock market and stock
exchanges are retail shops for the acquiring and trading shares.

How You
Can Profit From the Stock Market

Customarily, people earn from the stock market through their
membership of a pension plan either privately or through a company they work
for. In the US, this is traditionally done through the 401(k).

At times, people will invest money into mutual funds to make
money off the stock market and assign somebody else do the job of selecting
stocks. The advantages of stock picking by mutual fund managers have not been
that commendatory.

And this is not merely a phenomenon that occurs in the US.

The UK pension industry has been often criticized for making
profit, not from the stock market, but from the fees they charge their clients.

The only way to earn from the stock market is to take
ownership and control of your involvement in it. Allowing others to do it for
you will lead to an erosion of the wealth you have worked so hard to create.

What Is The Stock Market? The Real Answer Deep Blue
Publications Group LLC

Deep Blue
Publications Group LLC provides the investor the potential to earn from the
folly of other stock market players. In short, stock market is basically
composed of the participants in it, such as private persons and institutions
like hedge funds, pension funds, banks and mutual funds, who acquire and sell
shares.

The stock market, ultimately, is not the millions of
share-price figures flashing across the display monitors of day traders.

The "folly of others" simply refers to the stock
markets' strange capacity to drive up and shrink the values of companies – they
undervalue and overvalue them.

You can
earn from their folly by:

·Purchasing shares in businesses when they are
undervalued and;

·Selling them when they reach their full value
and

·Keep away from the stock market when and if they
are overvalued.

·This is entirely in contrast to the gamblers
mentality of attempting to buy in bear markets and attempting to sell in bull
markets.

Eurozone recovery fades as growth stalls

Europe’s revival
from 18 months of recession caught up in the third quarter as exports slowed
and the region’s second-biggest economy turnaround.

Over the
preceding quarter the 17-nation eurozone’s initial estimate of GDP demonstrated
growth of just 0.1%, when the economy grew by 0.3% subsequent to the
contracting for six successive quarters through the depths of the region’s debt
crisis.

Analysts were
foreseeing growth would deliberate as one-off factors like a seasonal bounce
back in German construction dull, but the regional figures were getting frailer
compare to some had expected. Germany’s rate of growth more than halved to
0.3%, while the French economy shrank by 0.1%.

The numbers
verifies doubts that the eurozone is currently under pressure to generate any
actual momentum, as record levels of unemployment, weak investment, tight
credit conditions and government austerity are weighing on demand.

In September,
industrial production and retail sales both drop, and price rises plunged to
0.7%. That encouraged the European
Central Bank to slash interest rates to a fresh record low preceding week
in an attempt to stop the region falling into deflation and stagnation.

And ECB
President Mario Draghi said the bank was ready to take further measures,
including another rate cut, if the move fails to have the desired effect.

Unemployment
won’t start falling until 2015 at the earliest, according to recent EU
forecasts. The European Commission has trimmed its estimate of GDP growth next
year to 1.1%, and said it was too early to declare an end to the region’s
crisis.

Domestic demand
in the eurozone is still very weak with 19 million out of work and wages hardly
rising.

“While there’s
not much difference between the second and third quarter GDP figures, the
deceleration is, psychologically speaking, a major setback for the eurozone,”
said Nicholas Spiro, managing director of Spiro Sovereign Strategy.

German domestic
demand was accountable for most of the thin growth, with a recovery in exports
from countries like Spain and Portugal also helping.

Italy’s economy
had a constant decline, while by much less than in prior quarters, but France
was weaker compared to what was anticipated.

In the previous
week, ratings agency S&P downgraded France on fears the government will be
not capable to reinstate the economy’s competitiveness, and the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development weighed in Thursday, influencing the
country to be more determined with its reforms.

It emphasized
reasonably high tax rates, insufficient research and development, strict
product market regulation and barriers to competition in business services.

The uncertain
temperament of the eurozone recovery compares strongly with speedy growth and a
surge in confidence in the U.K., where the topic is now concerning when the
Bank of England will move to constrict monetary policy.

The central bank
raised its growth forecasts on Wednesday and said it expected unemployment to
fall much faster than expected just a few months back. Governor Mark Carney
said he would be prepared to raise interest rates before May 2015 if it was the
right decision for the economy.

What Is A Share?

A share essentially means a part ownership of a business
registered on the stock market.

An individual who owns shares is called a shareholder.
Stocks and shares do not merely refer to numbers on a stock monitor screen.

Share prices correspond to the present price for a company's
stock.

You may ask: What about the value of the business? Is the
share price an accurate measure of the worth of the business?

The
whole idea I would like to focus on is this:

If a share means part-ownership of a business, then as a
shareholder, one needs to analyze a certain company for investment as if one
were going to acquire the entire business.

This applies even if a share refers to partial ownership of
a company.

Obviously, we cannot do partial evaluation of a company
corresponding to that fractional stake in a business.

The
public's awareness about shares

For many years, people have voiced out their opinion to me
in diverse manners about the stock market being nothing but a huge casino and
that shares and stock are practically poker chips to be purchased and traded
for the delightful experience.

An educated, smart investor will view things in another way.

Quantitative analysis means evaluating a business, its cash
flow, its liabilities, its debts, how it generates money and many more.

The
purpose is to ascertain that:

You do not gamble your money away but make an informed
decision about your investments

You do not lose, or, as much as possible, you reduce the
danger of losing your money.

They issue a slice, not all, but a piece of their company to
be apportioned into tiny bits we refer to as shares.

In exchange, company gets paid by investors who acquire the
shares through a stock exchange.

Companies who issue shares have the obligation to shell out
dividends to their shareholders, as cash amounts drawn from the earnings of the
company.

Not every company pays a dividend and some usually do not,
particularly if they encounter rough financial weather or plan to withhold
money from shareholders to plow back into building up or maintaining the
business.

Shares can be purchased and sold by investors any time
during the trading hours of the stock exchange on which the shares are listed,
often online through a stockbroker's website.

Share
prices and what they represent to value investors

As an example, if a share price is quoted today at £2.20 per
share but by using quantitative analysis you figured that the business was
valued at £4.00 per share, then you have found an undervalued business.

For value investors, therefore, stock market quotes and
share prices provides an occasion for a person to weigh price against value.
That is, the current price of the share versus the current value of the
business.

However, it is more often the case that this kind of an
assessment through meticulous quantitative analysis leads to the discovery of a
fairly valued or overvalued stock.

Occasionally, an investor will discover an undervalued
company in relation to the share price.

As such, a share is a chance to buy a stake in a business
that is undervalued.

0
comments
:

U.S. consumer confidence at six-year high, Europeans also more upbeat – survey

A global survey showed that consumer confidence in the
United States reached a six-year high in the third quarter, as prospects for
jobs and personal finances improved, and also rose sharply in Europe.

In a quarterly survey by global information and insights
company Nielsen, Americans were among the majority optimistic consumers, this
reflects rising confidence that the world’s leading economy is a on a
continuous growth path. U.S. stockmarkets have lifted record highs, generating
a wealth result that has also made consumers
more enthusiastic to spend.

Released Wednesday last week, the survey was taken before a
16-day partial government shutdown early this month which economists expect
will hurt U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter.

“In the United States, the labor market is slowly healing,
and low interest rates are helping the housing market come back and bringing up
the stock market, which is perhaps especially beneficial to higher-income
consumers with more assets,” said Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at The
Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen.

“It’s still going to be a slow climb – we’re not going to
see huge growth rates – but this improvement is recurring and it is
sustainable.”

Indonesia continued to be the most bullish consumer market
worldwide, next are the Philippines and India, as in the preceding quarter, but
confidence levels in all three up-and-coming markets hollowed. It also dipped
in Brazil.

From the previous three months at 94, up 2 points from the
same period a year earlier, the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index was
unchanged in the third quarter. A reading below 100, yet, signals still
comparatively low consumer morale.

Portugal saw the biggest leap in consumer confidence
worldwide in the third quarter, by a hefty 22 points, while Ukraine saw the
biggest drop, by 13 points.

Portugal’s bounce back led a pick-up in consumer attitude in
peripheral euro zone countries that have been wrestling with tough soberness
measures as they required cutting heavy debt levels.

While the recovery is encouraging and tied with other latest
economic data signifying the euro zone economy has curved the corner, Portugal,
Italy, Greece, and also as France, were still among the most miserable consumer
markets globally.

“In Europe, we’ve seen a change in mindset as policymakers
have moved away from austerity measures and toward growth policies,” said Bala.

“While recovery is still uneven, many consumers – especially
in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom – are feeling that the
worst is behind them, and their confidence is improving as they sense growth
returning.”

Non-euro zone member Hungary was the one thinking the most
negative market globally even though it illustrated a development from the
third quarter.

Non-euro zone member Hungary was the one thinking the most
negative market globally even though it illustrated a development from the
third quarter.

0
comments
:

Build knowledge Build confidence Build wealth

Like everyone else, you probably also would like to make
more money – which is totally alright. We all know that there is no such thing
as a free lunch and that building wealth requires a lot of perseverance and
diligent work.

You might have already taken a look at some stock market
systems or subscribed to highly-reputed tip sheets and realized they just don't
cut it. There are many scammers out there, whether online or offline -- who
will give worthless advice to individual investors. This is merely one of many
reasons I do not give advice – just my own personal insight founded on
statistical analysis and conservative intrinsic assessment.

At Deep Blue
Publications Group LLC, we show you how we are creating wealth for the
long-term, a single day at a time, by following simple stock market investing
principles. If you already have an operating portfolio, we do hope that our
track record – gains as well as losses – can aid you attain your goals.

If you have not invested in the stock market investing but
just now planning on doing so, you can see what it is all about, what you can
derive from it and find out what it takes to make proper decisions on your own
without risking any money: follow Deep Blue Publications Group LLC without
having to constantly check for updates as you will be notified by email
whenever new content is uploaded.

0
comments
:

Bookkeeping Tips for Business Owners

Plan for major expenses. You will probably overlook business
opportunities or have to mix up for a loan when the expenses become
inescapable.

A year in advance or, preferably, three to five years ahead,
put events like a major computer upgrade on the calendar. Admit the cyclic ups
and downs, something many entrepreneurs are unwilling to do.

“This helps you to be honest about the fact that it’s coming
and plan for it,” says James LeMay, a director with the accounting firm Daigle
& Associates in Boston.

Track expenses. You or else could fail to spot some tax
write-offs and might lose out on others.

A credit card that you use solely for business can be a
basic accounting system, says Raffaele Mari, an accountant in Newport Beach,
Calif., who teaches a financial course for entrepreneurs at Pepperdine
University.

For you to be able to see which outlays relate to which
business activities, most card statements categorize expenses. If you always
use your business credit card for business expenses you’re less likely to pay
cash.

Additionally, Mari says, routinely jot down business trips,
lunches, coffee dates and other events with cash outlays in your electronic or
paper day planner. This habit can go a long way toward substantiating those
items for your tax records in the event of an audit.

“Often on tax returns, those numbers are too round. No one
drives exactly 5,000 miles for business in a year, so the IRS knows this is an
estimate,” Mari says. “In an audit, if you can’t substantiate those numbers,
the whole category [of write-offs] can get thrown out.”

That data, along with a day planner recording the trip, are
usually enough record keeping to satisfy the IRS, Mari says.

Record deposits correctly. You may be less likely to pay
taxes on money that isn’t income.

Implement a system for keeping your financial activities
straight. Business owners normally make a diversity of deposits into their bank
account through the year, counting loans, revenue from sales and cash infusions
from their personal savings. The trouble, Mari says, is that at the end of the
year, you or your bookkeeper might erroneously record some deposits as income,
and consequently pay taxes on more money than you’ve actually made.

Set aside money for paying taxes. The IRS can charge
penalties and interest for not filing quarterly tax returns on time.

Thoroughly put part of money aside throughout the year for
taxes. Next, note tax deadlines on your calendar, together with prep time if
you need it, to be certain you in fact make payments when they’re due.

Payroll taxes that go unpaid can be especially problematic,
Mari says. He often sees cash-crunched entrepreneurs get through a down cycle
by dipping into employee withholdings that they should have sent to the IRS.

Keep a close eye on your invoices. Late and unpaid bills
harm your cash flow.

Hand over someone in your organizations to monitor your
billing. After this, put a process in place for issuing a second invoice,
making a phone call and perhaps charging penalties like extra fees at definite
deadlines.

“You want to have a plan for what happens if they’re 30, 60
or 90 days late,” Mari says.

Some entrepreneurs believe that once they’ve sent out an
invoice, they’ve taken care of billing. Not so, Mari says. “Every late payment
is an interest-free loan and hurts your cash flow.”

0
comments
:

5 Useful Accounting Tips for Small Businesses

You have to make sure you stay focused on accounting when running
a small business. Your company will tumble down before it succeeds, if you
don’t manage debt, receivables, and marketing expenses accurately.

You can keep your company by putting into practice
trouble-free bookkeeping approach.

Weigh the options very carefully of bookkeeper against DIY
accounting. Despite the fact that entrepreneurs could feel ready to act as head
of accounting, sales, and marketing at the same time to cut costs, it may help
to hire a bookkeeper. It can assist you on knowing someone with experience and
has the best understanding is working on your books. To begin, you can employ
someone part time or maybe as a freelancer, therefore you are not paying a full
time wage for these services. As an option, the U.S. Small Business Administration
offers assistance with managing expenses on your own, while free accounting
software from GnuCash.org lets you crunch the numbers on your own.

Continue accounts receivable payments apart from borrowed
funds. Small business owners need financial backing and/or loans for startup capital, marketing
campaigns, and other initial things in the early on first days. To be certain
the loans won’t appear in the receivables, make use of the software that
separates income from borrowed funds. Don’t mislay sight of what is yours and
what needs paying back.

Remember not to permit clients to leave with not paying
balances. Observing a large amount in the receivables column is a good thing,
nevertheless the money doesn’t really add up until it is in your bank account.
Don’t let clients keep away from regular payments. Stand firm and not take no
for an answer if you receive payment for past orders before letting them have
more materials or services. The receivables department is very important in
maintaining your company buoyant.

So you can budget for the coming weeks, specify daily
expenses. It’s a good idea for
business owners to carry records of everyday expenses they gain in the
company. As an alternative of calculating expenses every two weeks for payroll
purposes, center on every day or every week. This can lend a hand so you have a
better idea of where finances are each week and how much money you’ll need to
budget for in the upcoming weeks.

Calculate a minimum monthly profit. When planning how much
it takes to maintain a small business operating, the numbers can get
complicated. Plan a precise system of expenses and regular obligations so you
know accurately the minimum income you require every month. Because income can
be the easiest to calculate, make an austere target you’ll need to earn.
Without that exactness, accounting becomes confusing and your business can be
at risk.

0
comments
:

New comments are not allowed.

Rabobank fined $1bn over Libor

According to Dutch
bank Rabobank, it has agreed to pay fines of 774m euros ($1bn; £662m) imposed
by US, UK and Dutch regulators over the Libor interest rate-fixing scandal.

The bank added that
its chief executive, Piet Moerland, had stepped down.

To set trillions of
dollars of financial contracts, Libor rates are used.

These comprise many
car loans and mortgages, and this also includes complex financial transactions
around the whole world.

From the time of the
year 2012 in the wake of Barclays’ £290m ($454m) fine by US and UK authorities,
regulators have been investigating the exploitation of Libor inter-bank lending
rates.

A thread of
international banks has been concerned in the matter, while more than a few
criminal charges have been conveyed in opposition to traders.

Tracey McDermott
Director of enforcement and financial crime, FCA said “Traders and submitters
treated Libor submissions as a possible method to make money, with no look upon
for the truthfulness of the market.”

‘Extremely
disappointing’

The UK’s Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had fined Rabobank £105m for “serious,
prolonged and widespread misconduct relating to Libor”.

The £105m fine is the
third-highest on record by the FCA or its predecessor, the Financial Services
Authority (FSA).

The FCA said the
bank’s “poor internal controls” encouraged collusion between its traders and
Libor submitters and attempts at benchmark manipulation.

Rabobank did not
fully address these failings until August 2012, despite assuring the regulator
in March 2011 that “suitable arrangements” were in place, the FCA said.

Tracey McDermott,
director of enforcement and financial crime at the FCA, said: “Traders and
submitters treated Libor submissions as a potential way to make money, with no
regard for the integrity of the market. This is unacceptable.”

Ms McDermott added:
“Rabobank’s flawed assurances and failure to get a grip on what was going on in
its business were extremely disappointing.”

Royal Bank of
Scotland (RBS) was fined £390m by UK and US regulators for its involvement in
the Libor scandal in February 2013.

At the time, the FSA
fined RBS £87.5m, at the same time as about £300m was paid to US regulators and
the US Department of Justice.

UK broker ICAP was
fined $87m for its part in the rate-fixing scandal last month.

Three of its former
traders were charged in New York with several counts of wire fraud as well.